The difficulty of normal content is great as is. Do not revert them.

[Alice_Rivers]

Because it doesn't have to be braindead. But SE shot themselves in the head by removing everything everything else but encounter mechanics. They removed CCs (well, they are still there), they made tanks completely independent of healers, etc.
So, the only thing they can act on to make a fight harder is to make more (or less) telegraphed mechanics and make them more or less punishing.

In other words there's plenty of room to improve the game's difficulty and engagement factor, the infrastructure is already there, they need only use it. But tell me, if MSQ content "doesn't have to be braindead", why is it that you appear to be advocating exactly that?

IMHO, that is because the class progression for most ARR jobs is backwards. For WHM, lily should never have been lvl 52, it should be something you get on lvl 10 as soon as you get your other healing buttons (okay, maybe lvl 30). So that when someone starts a CNJ at lvl 1, they don't have to spend 52 levels spamming cure II.

Lilies being level 52 is perfectly reasonable from my standpoint. You spend level 15 to 30 learning how to heal (and preferably mix in some damage too), level 30-50 with cure 2 learning to be more measured, to judge when and how much to heal, then at level 52 they give you your first instant cast GCD heal. I consider it to be good pacing, it fits with your character learning more white magic, it fits a reasonable pacing of actual player skill. What it is not is an excuse to just press cure 1 or 2, worse at level 80+ when you should be versed with Asylum, Tetragrammaton, Benediction, Divine Benison and doing weaves like Regen > Divine Benison > Afflatus Solace > Tetragammaton if things are really dire.